The present invention is related to a cleaning or treating utensil or tool having multiple utilities and applications, especially in personal hygiene
Several products of this kind are known, especially, when personal hygiene is concerned, for example the cotton bud for cleaning the external auditory canal, this device being formed by a thin rod having on at least one of its ends a cleaning element, generally of cotton wool. The cotton buds are easy and inexpensive to manufacture; however, their cleaning power is rather low and limited. In fact, the cleaning head is small (its diameter does only slightly exceed that of the rod), and the user must make a rotational movement with his hand which has seized the cotton bud in order to make the head successively bear against all generatrices or sites within the duct or canal to be cleaned or treated. The degradation of the cleaning head caused by this rotational movement is rapidly accelerated when the user makes a second rotational movement with the rod which is superimposed on the first one, comprising a simultaneous rotation of the rod about its axis for improving the cleaning efficiency. Furthermore, the handling of the cotton bud is anything else than ideal and is even ineffective when a liquid has beforehand been introduced into the canal or when the head is impregnated with, for example, a pharmaceutical, cosmetic or detergent product before use (which will later on be called xe2x80x9cactive fluidxe2x80x9d). Finally, in view of the diameter of the cotton buds, their use is not without risks to damage the eardrum. According to a more sophisticated execution, the heads of certain cotton buds have a bulge at their basis which limits the distance of the introduction into the canal and diminishes that risk (without, however, completely eliminating it) but does not lift the other disadvantages described above. For this reason, other devices have still been suggested, aiming at overcoming the disadvantages.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,693,581 discloses a cleaning instrument for the external auditory canal, comprising a handle, a support screwed to one end of the handle or being integral with it, an exchangeable cleaning piece (e.g., a piece of tissue or of leather), and a ring for holding this piece on the support. The said cleaning piece is put on the support and held thereon by a ring that cooperates with a conical seat of the support.
The document FR-1,582,734 describes a different applicator device where the cleaning head is of a poriferous matter.
The document EP-A-0,234,061 discloses an utensil for cleaning the auditory canal of the external ear, comprising a cleaning head of rubber plugged on the end portion of a small stick from which it may be removed. This head presents, seen from the front, the shape of a pear and has a star-shaped cross-section.
The document EP-A-0,184,237 describes a product of the same type, also consisting of two parts, namely the thin stick and a pluggable cleaning head, the latter optionally comprising a shoulder which has a stopper function in order to limit the penetration of said head into the auditory canal and avoiding to touch the eardrum. Seen from the front, this head has a cylindrical shape with rounded ends and its cross-section is in a variant also star-shaped.
The document DE-OS-4,117,526 goes in the same direction as the two European patent applications which have just been cited. The head is preferably oval and may be protected by a sliding ring when the product is not under use.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 1,980,826 describes an utensil for cleaning the external auditory canal, comprising a handle, a guard, and a cleaning head which is interchangeable according to some embodiments, said head comprising a threaded rod screwed into one end of the handle so that its length is adjustable but remaining sufficiently fixed against rotation during its use. The apparent portion of the cleaning head is made of rubber, of sponge rubber or of felt.
The recommended matter of the cleaning heads described in most of the documents of the prior art is a flexible and compact matter, rubber, tissue, leather or an equivalent one. However, the documents FR-1,582,734 and U.S. Pat. No. 1,980,826 teach the use of a spongy matter. In the DE-OS-4,117,526, the ribs or lamellas of the head may additionally be provided with nubs.
These references disclose of course improvements with respect to the cotton bud as far as the specific use in personal hygiene is concerned, but they do not satisfactorily brush aside the drawbacks of the cotton buds, discussed above in the first place. In fact, if it can be imagined that the rubber lamellas are bent during usexe2x80x94still under the condition that certain conditions regarding the dimension of said lamellas are respected (which may give rise to feasibility and reliability problems of the product which have not been discussed and still less resolved in the prior art)xe2x80x94, a continuous and uniform adaptation or conformation of the cleaning head to the surface or canal to be cleaned is not given. Furthermore, the cleaning heads have a predetermined shape that is fixed and compulsory forever. A specific shaping of the cleaning heads, whereas their action, as discussed above, does not really solve the problems, and the relatively complex means that are used, in particular in U.S. Pat. No. 1,980,826, enter to a sensible degree into the manufacturing costs of these instruments and raise them. Regarding the U.S. Pat. No. 1,693,581, the disadvantage of its object is obvious. In fact, it can easily be imagined that, when the described and defined object is put into use, the compact cleaning piece of flexible matter will necessarily curl up and slide around its support when the instrument is made to rotate, the only retention means being the maintaining ring. Finally, the applications remain essentially limited to the personal hygiene, more specifically to the cleaning of external auditory canals.
The present invention has the objective to overcome the technical as well as economical disadvantages of the known utensils.
A multi-purpose and multi-use cleaning or treating device, in particular for personal hygiene includes at least a cleaning or treating head. This head includes an element made of sponge plastic material capable of adopting any desired shape by the effect of forces applied thereon and to resume at least partially its original shape, preferably plane, when these forces are absent, and a support whose shape said element can match when it is folded down and arranged thereon for covering it at least partially. Retainer cooperates with the element and the handle to ensure proper hold of the element on the support. The support includes gripping means directly mounted, such as grooves, or intrinsic, by the very material of which the support is made, for example a resin or an elastomer. The supports can be of different shapes.